brad cox | Horse Racing Free Tips

Leading Lady Letruska Tops Field Of Seven For ‘Win And You’re In’ Spinster

St. George Stable's Letruska, who has firmly established herself as the leading mare in the land, heads a field of seven fillies and mares entered Thursday for Sunday's 66th running of the $500,000 Juddmonte Spinster (G1) at Keeneland.

Scheduled as the ninth race on Sunday's 10-race program, the Juddmonte Spinster is a Breeders' Cup Challenge race with the winner receiving a fees-paid berth into the $2 million Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) to be run Nov. 6 at Del Mar. Post time for the Juddmonte Spinster is 5:15 p.m. ET with first post at 1 p.m.

Trained by Fausto Gutierrez, Letruska has had her Breeders' Cup ticket punched three times by virtue of victories in the Ogden Phipps (G1), Fleur de Lis (G2) and Personal Ensign (G1) Presented by Lia Infiniti. Prior to the Ogden Phipps victory, Letruska started her four-race win streak with a nose victory over champion Monomoy Girl in the Apple Blossom (G1) in April at Oaklawn Park.

Since taking the Personal Ensign on Aug. 28, Letruska has had two bullet works at Keeneland. Irad Ortiz Jr. has the mount Sunday from post position four.

Back to challenge Letruska from the Personal Ensign are Juddmonte's Bonny South and Peter Brant's Dunbar Road.

Trained by Brad Cox, Bonny South has been a runner-up twice to Letruska. She came up 2¾ lengths short in the Ogden Phipps and was a half-length shy in the Personal Ensign. Winner of the Baird Doubledogdare (G3) here this spring, Bonny South will be ridden Florent Geroux out of post position two.

Dunbar Road finished fourth in the Personal Ensign, beaten just three-quarters of a length. Trained by Chad Brown, Dunbar Road was third in last year's Breeders' Cup Distaff here. In her only other Keeneland start, she ran third in the 2019 Juddmonte Spinster.

Dunbar Road will exit post one under jockey Flavien Prat.

The field for the Juddmonte Spinster, with riders and weights from the inside, is:

Dunbar Road (Prat, 124 pounds)
Bonny South (Geroux, 124)
Town Avenger (Julien Leparoux, 121)
Letruska (Ortiz Jr., 124)
Envoutante (Brian Hernandez Jr., 124)
Crystal Ball (Tyler Gaffalione, 124)
High Regard (Rafael Bejarano, 124)

The post Leading Lady Letruska Tops Field Of Seven For ‘Win And You’re In’ Spinster appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Cox Pair Heads Alcibiades Dozen

A duo of fillies from the Brad Cox barn coming off dominant maiden victories will attract plenty of attention from bettors in an evenly-matched field of 12 in Friday's opening-day GI Darley Alcibiades S. at Keeneland. The 1 1/16-mile test offers to the winner a fees-paid birth to the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies.

Breaking from the rail is Albaugh Family Stables' narrow morning-line favorite Juju's Map (Liam's Map). Hammered down to 7-10 debuting for Cox July 25 at Ellis, the $300,000 Keeneland September graduate made a menacing run to the lead before flattening out late and settling for second. Odds-on again stretching out to a mile there Sept. 3, the bay popped out to the front and never had an anxious moment in the lane, cruising to a 5 3/4-length score under minimal urging from Florent Geroux.

Geroux opted to stay aboard Juju's Map instead of keeping the call on the other half of the Cox tandem, Godolphin's Matareya (Pioneerof the Nile). Backed to 9-5 as part of an entry debuting over 6 1/2 furlongs Aug. 20 at Ellis, the homebred made the lead under her own power, shook off several early challengers and discarded her stablemate in early stretch en route to a geared-down 4 1/2-length graduation.

A pair of fillies drawn wide appear to present the biggest obstacles to Cox, who won the Alcibiades in 2019 with eventual champion British Idiom (Flashback). In the 10-hole is Milam Farm's Penny Saver (Super Saver), who owns the top Beyer figure and Thoro-Graph number in the field for a devastating maiden romp last out. Runner-up as the favorite on debut going five furlongs June 18 at Churchill, the $65,000 Fasig-Tipton October buy was fourth after a slow start stretching out on the Saratoga turf Aug. 8. Turning a corner in the mornings to the tune of an unheard-of five-furlong bullet on the Saratoga training track in :58 4/5 (1/10) Sept. 4, the dark bay backed her works up with a 9 1/2-length tour de force over this trip Sept. 24 in Louisville, earning an 85 Beyer and 6 1/2 Thoro-Graph number.

One stall to her outside is Diamond Wow (Lookin At Lucky), who ships north for Patrick Biancone following a pair of victories to start her career. Unveiled over five furlongs on the Gulfstream turf, the chestnut made the pace and edged clear in the lane to a three-length success. Switched to dirt in the seven-furlong off-turf Our Dear Peg S. there Sept. 18, she showed rating ability, sitting off the pacesetter and taking over nearing the stretch en route to a 1 3/4-length triumph. Biancone reached out to Mike Smith to take over the reins from Romero Maragh for this engagement.

Two other stakes winners rate outside chances in Jim McIngvale's Runup (Runhappy), a three-length upsetter of the Sorority S. at 14-1 Sept. 6 at Monmouth, and Miss Interpret (Street Sense), who captured the washed-off P.G. Johnson S. for Todd Pletcher Sept. 2 at Saratoga.

The post Cox Pair Heads Alcibiades Dozen appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Essential Quality Re-Takes Lead In Breeders’ Cup Classic Rankings

Godolphin's Essential Quality moved back into first place by three votes over stablemate Knicks Go in the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings, a weekly poll of the top 10 horses in contention for the $6 million Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1). This year's Longines Breeders' Cup Classic will be run at Del Mar racetrack in Del Mar, California, on Nov. 6 as the final race of the 38th Breeders' Cup World Championships.

The 3-year-old Essential Quality, trained by Brad Cox, received 328 votes. A winner four times in five starts this year, including victories in the Belmont Stakes (G1) and the Runhappy Travers (G1), Essential Quality had been in first place for three consecutive weeks before being overtaken by Knicks Go last week. The 5-year-old Knicks Go, who is in second place with 325 votes, won his fourth race of the year in easy fashion on Saturday, taking the Lukas Classic (G3) at Churchill Downs by four lengths. Knicks Go earned a free berth in the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic when he won the Whitney (G1) at Saratoga Race Course in August.

The 3-year-old Hot Rod Charlie remained in third place with 269 votes. Owned by Boat Racing, Gainesway Stable, Roadrunner Racing, and William Strauss, and trained by Doug O'Neill, Hot Rod Charlie won the Pennsylvania Derby (G1) in his most recent start.

Following his frontrunning victory in the “Win and You're In” Awesome Again Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita Park, Zedan Racing Stables' Medina Spirit has jumped from seventh place to fourth this week with 206 votes.

Godolphin's 4-year-old Maxfield dropped one spot to fifth place with 180 votes. Trained by Brendan Walsh, Maxfield, who finished second in the Woodward Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park on Saturday, earned an automatic starting position in the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic when he captured the Stephen Foster Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs in June.

The big mover in this week's Classic Rankings was Bruce Lunsford's 4-year-old Art Collector, who leaped from 18^th place into a sixth-place tie with George E. Hall and SportBLX Thoroughbreds Corp's Max Player. Trained by Bill Mott, Art Collector won his third consecutive race when he captured Saturday's Woodward wire-to-wire by 1 ½ lengths.

The 4-year-old Max Player, trained by Steve Asmussen, earned an automatic berth in the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic when he won the Suburban Stakes (G2) at Belmont Park in July, and followed up that score with a victory in the “Win and You're In” Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) at Saratoga on Sept. 4. Art Collector and Max Player have 163 votes apiece.

St. George Stable's 5-year-old mare Letruska, a three-time Grade 1 winner this year for trainer Fausto Gutierrez, improved from 10^th place to eighth with 70 votes.

Prince A A Faisal's 4-year-old Mishriff (IRE) dropped one position to ninth place with 61 votes. Trained by John and Thady Gosden, Mishriff gained an invitation to the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic when he won the Juddmonte International Stakes (G1) at York Racecourse in England on Aug. 18.

St. Elias Stable's Dr Post and Hronis Racing's Tripoli are tied in 10^th place with 35 votes each. Trained by Todd Pletcher, the 4-year-old Dr Post, who has two Grade 3 wins this year, finished third in the Woodward Stakes. The John Sadler trained 4-year-old Tripoli, who secured a free berth in the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic when he won the TVG Pacific Classic (G1) in August, dropped from sixth place to 10^th following his fourth-place finish in the Awesome Again Stakes.

Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings – Oct. 5, 2021*

Rank	Horse	Votes	First-Place Votes	Previous Week
1	Essential Quality	328	14	2
2	Knicks Go	325	16	1
3	Hot Rod Charlie	269	1	3
4	Medina Spirit	206	1	7
5	Maxfield	180	1	4
6	Art Collector	163	1	18
6	Max Player	163	0	5
8	Letruska	70	0	10
9	Mishriff (IRE)	61	2	8
10	Dr Post	35	0	13
10	Tripoli	35	0	6

*Note – The Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings have no bearing on qualification or selection into the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic.

The 2021 Longines Breeders' Cup Classic, which will be run at 1 ¼ miles on the main track, is limited to 14 starters. The race will be broadcast live on NBC.

The Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings are determined by a panel of leading Thoroughbred racing media, horseplayers, and members of the Breeders' Cup Racing Directors/Secretaries Panel. Rankings will be announced each week through Oct. 11. A list of voting members can be found here.

In the Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings, each voter rates horses on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 system in descending order.

The post Essential Quality Re-Takes Lead In Breeders’ Cup Classic Rankings appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Brad Cox Hoping To Add To His Breeders’ Cup Lineup At Keeneland This Weekend

Trainer Brad Cox unleashed a couple of coming attractions here last fall for the Breeders' Cup World Championships at Keeneland when Essential Quality and Aunt Pearl (IRE) used Keeneland stakes victories as a springboard to respective triumphs in the TVG Juvenile (G1) Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance and Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1).

Cox is hoping for a repeat performance in a trio of upcoming Breeders' Cup Challenge races, which provide the winners with a fees-paid berth into their respective races at Del Mar Nov. 5-6.

Friday's 1 1/16-mile Darley Alcibiades (G1) is first for Cox with a spot in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) Nov. 5 on the line. Cox won the Darley Alcibiades in 2019 with British Idiom, who came back four weeks later to win the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Santa Anita.

This year, he has Godolphin's Matareya and Albaugh Family Stables' Juju's Map in the race.

“We have always thought highly of her,” Cox said of Matareya, who won her lone start by 4½ lengths at Ellis Park on Aug. 20. “Juju's Map, I like her a lot. She is a little more seasoned than Matareya, and she has won at a mile (at Ellis Park).”

Cox plans to run Shortleaf Stable's Vivar in Sunday's 1 1/16-mile Castle & Key Bourbon (G2), a “Win and You're In” race for the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1), also on Nov. 5.

“He ran well at Kentucky Downs,” Cox said of Vivar, who won going a mile as the 1-2 favorite. “He finished well.”

Hoping to follow in Aunt Pearl's footsteps for Cox is Dawn and Ike Thrash's Turnerloose, who is being pointed to next Wednesday's 1 1/16-mile JPMorgan Chase Jessamine (G2), a “Win and You're In” race for the $1 million Juvenile Fillies Turf on Nov. 5.

“I like her a lot, too,” Cox said of Turnerloose, who has won twice going a mile with the latter score coming in the Aristocrat Juvenile Fillies (L) at Kentucky Downs on Sept. 6.

Cox, whose 1-2 punch of Essential Quality and Knicks Go is targeting the $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic (G1), plans to run Juddmonte's Bonny South in Sunday's 1 1/8-mile Juddmonte Spinster (G1). The Juddmonte Spinster is a “Win and You're In” race for the $2 million Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1).

“She's doing very well, and her last two works at Churchill Downs have been very good,” Cox said of Bonny South, who won the Baird Doubledogdare (G3) here in April. “We will see if she can close the gap on Letruska a little more.”

Bonny South has chased Letruska twice in 2021, finishing second by 2 ¾ lengths in the Ogden Phipps (G1) and in her most recent start was second by a half-length in the Personal Ensign (G1).

Cox already has Shedaresthedevil targeting the Breeders' Cup Distaff and is considering Donegal Racing's Ready to Purrform, winner of last Saturday's Laurel Futurity, for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf.

The post Brad Cox Hoping To Add To His Breeders’ Cup Lineup At Keeneland This Weekend appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post